Edexcel have made a new Science and Additional Science specification starting from November 2011 and onward. Those doing 'Double Science' will be doing Core Science (B1, C1 and P1) as well as Additional Science (B2, C2 and P2). If you are doing 'Triple Science' you will be doing the same as well as the extension units B3, C3 and P3 which 'Double Science' students will not be doing. Triple Science students will gain three GCSEs; GCSE Physics, GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Biology whereas Double will only gain two GCSEs, Core Science and Additional Science.

Steps

Method1

Past practice

1

Find out which subject and unit you're doing first. You will most likely start with Core Science and start with Biology B1 or Physics P1. Once you find out, make sure you have the correct revision guide (which will either be provided by your school or you might have to buy yourself from W H Smith or any book store).

2

Use your revision book at home after each science lesson. This is the most effective way of memorizing all the information, after you learn one topic in one lesson, once you're home from school then run through it again in your revision book and rehearsing the notes you made in class.

3

Use questions from past papers. Past paper questions are miracles! Find past papers online from the Edexcel website under GCSE from 2011 and then print out the questions you can find for the relevant topic. Don't print out whole past papers, only the questions for what you're revising (although you can for future use as you will need all the questions eventually).

4

During revision, take breaks. As always with any exam, don't try to cram all the information into hours every single day. Take breaks and relax! You can't think and learn properly if you haven't got time to chill. Have about an hour or two session daily or every other day with plenty of water and snacks.

5

Print out the specification for the unit. You can find the specification PDF in the Things You'll Need section of this article, this is a PDF from the exam board clarifying exactly everything you need to know to ace the exam. After learning each topic from the revision guide and doing some past papers, highlight if you think you've aced it with a green highlighter, and if you're still unsure highlight in orange or pink as a warning to run through it once more.

6

Once you've gone through every topic, it's time to refresh. Go back through your orange highlighted parts of the specification and revise from the start again, you don't need to revise every single topic again but it's good to revise twice because you probably won't exactly remember the first topic which you revised long ago. It's to refresh your memory, the more you rehearse something, the better get.

7

Practise with full past papers. Ask your teacher to give you full past papers or mock papers, it's time to put all that knowledge to test and practise for the real things. Ask someone to mark it using the mark scheme and then see where you failed, and which 6 markers you struggled on. Go back and then try to revise the topics you struggled on further.

8

On the exam day. Relax, if you worked hard and didn't quit on revision you will have gotten at least a B. Don't revise last day or worse not revise at all, you will find that you can't get better than a D. Always revise!

Method2

Traffic lights

1

Use the revision guide contents page. Using a green pen, underline the things you are really familiar with and can answer questions on.

2

Take a red pen and underline the things you find really hard.

3

Underline the things that are left in orange (amber).

4

Revise all the amber things first. Get them up to green standard.

5

Go back a tackle the red things. Don't get hung up on these, you may never get them perfected.

6

Learn the glossary definitions. These are very important. Learn all the key terms before your exam and test yourself regularly on these. Spell and define. All the marks come from explaining what you have learnt.

7

Make sure you refresh the green areas just before the exam. Get an early night in readiness for the exam.

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Tips

When you revise, sit at a desk with no music, TV, internet, mobile phone or any form of distraction. Your full attention must be on revising the text in front of you.

The new GCSE specification is very simple compared to the old one, it only consists of 1 mark multiple choice questions, one word 2 mark questions, small sentenced 4 mark questions and about two or three small paragraph 6 mark questions. It is very easy and all you need to do is revise every little keyword and punch them all in on the dotted lines.

Warnings

Be prepared for your controlled assessment at the end of the year, for each topic (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) there is a controlled assessment in which you will have to do a practical and provide as well as evaluate results.